Winterlight
by LittleEnglishLass
Summary: He walked, she walked. He fell, she picked him up. He cried, she comforted him. The snow falls heavier, and the wind howls at the door, but in her arms he is warm. He is safe. He can sleep. Optimus has long been lost in a cold, dark void, and it just takes a little bit of kindness to raise him back into the sunlight. Back where he belongs.
1. Prologue: The Long Walk

***scratches head* I don't really know what inspired this. I tend to think a lot when I'm on the bus to and from college, and this morning I was thinking about snow, but then this little jewel of an idea popped into my head. **

**I might continue this...depending on the reviews...**

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**Winterlight**

The figure walked, worry and regret weighing down his brave spark. He carried a deep sadness within him, a terrible guilt that threatened to engulf him, a fear that was bubbling just below the surface. But still, he walked. A day, maybe a week, perhaps a year. He didn't know how long. It felt like eternity.

He had walked so far now. Daring to look back, he realised he could no longer see where he had started out. The lush grass beneath him had slowly turned to dense woodland, and that eventually became snow. The whiteness glittered and gleamed, growing dazzling with the midday glare of the cold sun. Tiny flakes danced and twirled in the twist of air that caught them, the wind causing the snow on the ground to skitter over itself, like sand in a desert.

He shivered. His tiny form was speckled with white, the red and blue slowly disappearing under the white flakes, the silver metal was rapidly losing heat as night rolled in.

He made no sound in the stillness of winter; only the light padding of his feet could be heard as he walked on. He looked up. Slowly the moon rose, a spidery orb between the abundant branches of the trees. The velvet blackness of the night sky was obscured as the trees twisted together overhead, their bare branches sheathed in ice and snow. The icicles that hung off their limbs sang as the earth breathed its howling breath, their chiming music echoing across the land.

He was so tired. So cold. So alone. He could feel his energy draining with every step. He knew he had to find help. But where? He didn't know where he was.

His legs buckled under him and he hit the frozen ground hard. He didn't even attempt to get up. He was too tired to even bother walking again. He curled up into a tight ball, feeling himself become a frightened child as the snowfall increased.

Small sobs escaped him, and he screwed up his eyes to stop himself from crying. But despite his weak efforts, the tears fell. They left freezing tracks down his face, and he began to shiver uncontrollably.

_Please. _He prayed silently as he saw darkness creep into the edges of his vision. _Please, someone, anyone help me. Please Primus, do not abandon me. Please..._

* * *

The woman walked. It was early in the morning, just after one, but for some reason, she had woken suddenly and couldn't get back to sleep. She felt an unquenchable desire to take a walk.

A walk always did her good, and snow relaxed her. It was beautiful, seeing the land around her blanketed in whiteness. Winter was perhaps the most beautiful of all the seasons. The delicate frost patterns on frozen lakes, the dance of the flakes as they fell from the heavens, and the odd stillness that settled on the land, like the words of a mother onto a child.

She stopped. She could hear something above the occasional howl of the wind and the rustle of the snow as it travelled across the ground.

She listened intently, brushing her chestnut hair away from her ears, her amber eyes sweeping the scene before her. It sounded like crying, a stifled weeping that held a tiredness and defeat. Quickly scanning the well-known environment, she saw a small, shivering bundle underneath the edge trees of the forest.

Her first thoughts were that a child had become lost on the moors, and she ran over. But as she drew closer, she realised that the person who was weeping was not even human.

A little robot was huddled at the base of a tree, his legs curled into his chest, his arms desperately wrapped around himself, violent shivers racking his tiny body. Red, blue and silver peeked out from behind the layer of snow that covered him. The woman knelt down beside him and touched his shaking shoulder. The little robot turned his head, and she gasped at the incredible eyes that greeted her.

A beautiful royal blue, so deep, so full of grace and kindness that she felt herself getting lost in them. But they were so tired, so sad. They begged for her help, and she gladly gave it. He reached for her, and she cupped the side of his little face, smiling slightly as he leaned into her touch. Her smile vanished as she felt the cold metal burn into her skin through her gloves, seeing the shivers roll through him in harsh waves.

Taking off her coat, she undid her white fleece and wrapped it around the little robot. She put her coat back on, and gathered up her little bundle into her arms. She saw his eyes begin to close as she pulled him to her chest.

"You're safe now little one." She whispered. "Sleep, you're safe with me."

The little robot's eyes began to close. She hugged him tightly and held his freezing hands in one of her own. As she began to walk back home, she gave a silent thanks to whatever had woken her from her slumber.

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**So? What do you think?**

**Do I leave it as a mysterious one-shot, or do I make it a full story?**


	2. Chapter 1: Feverish Dreams

**HI! Since people seem to like this, I have decided to continue it! *throws party***

**I would like to state here and now that this is not an OP/OC fic. Optimus and my OC will get very close, but not in a romantic way.  
****I toyed with the idea of making OP a baby, because it seemed popular with you lot, but after a very long conversation with myself, I eventually decided that I could get more out of the story another way. Babies don't really talk much apparently, so it would be impossible to write some of the moments I have planned. Plus you'd never find out how OP became so small. (I will do a sparkling story soon, just not this one. :D )**

Put 'Ayumi Hamasaki Heaven music video' into you tube, click the vid with Japanese symbols and a monochrome tumbnail of a woman**.This is how I imagined my OC would look. I thought it might be easier for you all to have one solid physical image. Plus I love Ayumi Hamasaki, and I think she looks so beautiful in the video. **

**Also I have decided that my all my OC's are going to have a theme. Tanya's theme is 'Time Forgets' by Yiruma. It is a truly beautiful piece of music that fits her character perfectly. It's gentle, with a slightly mournful edge.**

* * *

**Chapter One**

**Feverish Dreams**

Tanya watched the little robot as he slept. He was curled into a tight ball, whimpers and sobs escaping him every so often as he tossed and turned in his fretful slumber. Instinctively, she reached across and gathered him into her warm arms, pulling the soft blankets further around him. Tanya bit her lip. She was no expert with children. She had no idea if she was doing the right thing. Hell, she didn't even know if he even _was _a child. The strong shape of his body, and the age in his eyes told her otherwise, but she couldn't be sure.

The little robot let out a small cry and curled into a tighter ball. Tanya made soothing noises and softly stroked his face, cradling him in her arms. He relaxed and his sleep became silent once again. Tanya held him gently, not wanting to wake him. She glanced across to the fire in the grate, watching the flames dance cheerfully over the logs, crackling a little song to itself as sparks flew around the action like fireflies over a woodland pool.

Tanya's attention was drawn back to the robot when he began whimpering again. The poor dear was obviously having some kind of recurring nightmare. She attempted to soothe him again and again, but no matter what she did, the terrors always came back, like sharks to blood.

She felt her eyes begin to droop, and she forced them open again. It was about four in the morning, but she wasn't going to sleep until she knew the little robot was going to be okay.

As she looked at his anguished expression, she couldn't help but wonder what he was dreaming about.

_A plane roared overhead, fire exploding in its wake as civilians screamed and ran. More explosions could be heard in the distance, more screams of pain and fear. The small child hid in his mama's arms as she too, ran. Her spark, which had once sang him to sleep with its warm, peaceful hum, now beat frantically as she dodged the flames and burning debris that fell from the toppling buildings, hitting the ground around them and causing the world to shake. _

_Orion began to cry. He didn't understand what was happening, but he didn't like it. He didn't like the noise. He was scared by the loud bangs and crashes and screams. He wanted to go home and go to sleep beside his mama and big brother after she told them a story, like she had last night. Like she had every night. _

_Suddenly, he felt his mama fall forward to the ground._

_Orion fell out of her grip and cried harder. He sat up, holding his arms out blindly for mama, calling for her as loudly as his tiny voice could. Where was mama? He couldn't see her! The smoke was too thick. Orion felt it soar down his throat with every searing breath he took. He saw towering flames dance closer and closer to him, too scared to move away. He had to stay where he was, otherwise mama would never find him and he'd be all alone in the burning place._

_He didn't know where his big brother was, and Orion felt his tiny spark beat faster at the thought of his brother being hurt or afraid. No. His big brother was never afraid. He was brave. He wouldn't get hurt. His bother would be okay. _

_Mama would be okay too. Mama was very brave. _

_Orion saw a shadow appear in the smoke, and he crawled towards it, hoping it was his mama come to get him. But it wasn't. Orion looked up at the big mech that stood in front of him. He was scary. The mech reached out and tried to grab the terrified sparkling, but out of nowhere, mama appeared and hit the mech with a large piece of debris, yelling something. _

_Orion squealed happily. He knew mama would come for him. His happiness was brutally cut off as the nasty mech hit mama with some kind of staff. She screamed and fell to the ground, and the mech drove the staff straight through her spark, before going after someone else who had ran past them. Orion crawled over to the fallen form of his mother and called for her. _

_She didn't respond. Her head was angled upwards at the darkened sky, her optics offline. Orion began to cry, screaming for his mama to wake up._

_She had to wake up. She just __**had **__to. His mama was brave and strong. She would be okay. Any second she would get up and take him home. The flames grew ever closer, but Orion stayed by his mama's side, waiting expectantly for her optics to online again. He didn't want to be alone. He wanted his mama! Why wouldn't she wake up?! _

_A broken scream tore through his throat as he felt unfamiliar arms around him, and a voice speaking to him. _

Optimus woke with a violent shudder as his cries died down. Confusion swirled through his head. Where was he? Who was holding him? He looked up and started. She wasn't his mother. He didn't know who she was. What was going on?

A human looked down at him with big, almond shaped, golden brown eyes, her lips curving into a smile and showing off her well shaped cheeks. Her honey brown hair was short, ending at her shoulders in gentle waves that graced across the tunic she wore. She was beautiful. There was no two ways about it.

He tore his gaze from her kind, worried eyes and looked around. He noticed there was a white bandage on his arm, feeling the dull ache of pain from a wound he hadn't noticed before. He realised he must be in her home, seeing the family pictures on the cream coloured walls. A fire cracked in a fireplace near them, and Optimus shuddered at the recollection of his dream. He hadn't had that one in a while.

"You alright?" The woman asked, an accent playing on her sonorous voice.

"I am fine." Optimus replied, seeing her blink in confusion.

"I don't believe you." The woman raised her eyebrows.

Optimus looked away. "There are just...some memories that I do not like to remember."

"Oh. If it helps, I can relate to that."

He nodded, then to his embarrassment he realised she was holding him like you would a baby. He tried to sit up, but the woman held him fast.

"You're pretty banged up. It's probably best you stay lying down for the moment." She said, cuddling him slightly. "I noticed a few injuries when I was carrying you here. You were shivering like mad, and I saw some blue stuff coming out of the big scratch on your arm. I figured it's the same as blood, so I wrapped some bandages round it. I hope it doesn't hurt too bad."

Optimus nodded his thanks again and squirmed a little. He was uncomfortable with the way she held him. However the action only made her hug him tighter. With a sigh, he gave up and accepted his fate, deciding instead to try and gather his bearings.

"Who are you?" he asked the woman.

She smiled. "My name's Tanya Willows. What's yours?"

"I am Optimus Prime. It is nice to meet you Miss Willows. I cannot thank you enough for saving me. I would have surely died if you had not showed such kindness."

Tanya smiled. He was so polite, so sweet. His voice was as beautiful as his eyes, deep and wise, but still so sad. Tanya cuddled him closer, settling back on the couch. She yawned, feeling her eyes droop in the dancing light of the flames.

"Where am I?"

The voice made her jump a little. Optimus was gazing up at her expectantly. She gently stroked the top of his head, her other hand curling around his.

"Tomorrow little one." She replied, exhausted from lack of sleep. "Tomorrow, I promise I will answer all your questions, but I need to sleep, and so do you."

Optimus was about to protest when he saw the human had fallen asleep. He sighed, but realised she was right. He was exhausted too, the small movements had made his limbs ache and he couldn't remember ever feeling so drained. Sleep would be nice, though he doubted he would get much peace. Even in the warm blankets of sleep, his past haunted him. Stalked him. Tormented him in the darkness of his dreams, daring him to make another mistake, another bad decision.

In spite of himself, he curled closer to the human, wanting more of her warmth and softness. Seeking comfort and rest. The warmth of the human combined with the light crackle of the fire created a lullaby.

As he drifted into sleep, the tiniest of smiles graced over his peaceful face.

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**I dunno...it's okay...it might need some tweaking.**

**Anyway, enough of me hating on my own work, tell me what you think!**

**TOODLES!**


	3. Chapter 3: Refugee

**I apologise for the unforgivable lateness of the update. **

***dodges pitchforks and burning torches, hangs head in shame and stands in the naughty corner* **

**Seriously, I'm sorry guys. But there has been a LOT going on in life, my plot bunny committed suicide so I had to wait for a new one to be delivered, I've had some health problems, and my poor dog, Molly, has been very unwell. We honestly thought she wasn't going to make it at one point. I love her so much, and I just couldn't concentrate on writing. She's doing okay now, thankfully. *promptly dies of relief and is resurrected by pixies***

**Aw. I just re-read the last chapter of this and couldn't help but smile there at the end. Sleepy little OP is so darn **_**CUTE!**_** ^_^ Definitely going to write more moments like that. I need to draw that moment or something. Just a tiny OP asleep in Tanya's arms. AW! *squee attack* **

**Author's Sheepish Note; **Um, I completely forgot to include OP's flames in my description of him in the last chapters. _(Thank you PrimesSparrow for telling me!)_ Let's just pretend I didn't, kay? Let's use our imagination and pretend he doesn't have any flames. Simply because I'm FAR too lazy to go back and change it. *laughs and hits self on head repeatedly* I am a BAD fangirl! BAD!

Oh yeah, this takes place about three months after the first movie. Just thought I'd tell y'all. :) And apparently, like me, Tanya hates humanity a little bit. Okay, a lot. But can you really blame us? Can you _really_ blame us for hating a society that allowed the insult to literature named Twilight to even get past the publisher?

**And now my minions, ONWARDS TO FLUFFINESS! LEFT! RIGHT! LEFT! RIGHT!**

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**Chapter Two**

**Refugee**

The howling cry of a blizzard roused Tanya from her slumber.

Groggily, she checked the clock. It was 11 o'clock in the morning. Sighing, she looked out the window. She'd forgotten to close the curtains, so she could see the way the snow flew past her window in large flakes, the morning sunshine obscured by the thick grey clouds heralding the arrival of icy reinforcements. The wind howled and changed direction, a number of large flakes smacked against the glass of the window with small _taps. _

Tanya shivered slightly and looked away, glancing down at the little robot that was still sleeping serenely in her arms. She felt a warm smile slide onto her face when she saw the way he was curled into her, his small hand placed gently in her own.

_He's so tiny. _Tanya had a silent conversation with herself. _About the size of a two year old. Maybe even smaller. But he's obviously not a kid. So what, he's just really really small? Odd. Very odd indeed. And while we're on the subject of all things odd, Brain, how did he get in the middle of the moor all alone? Where did he even come from anyway? A lab? Is he some kind of...advanced weapon? Maybe a spy-drone?_ _Are there creepy military people spying on me? _

Then she paused, and mentally kicked herself.

_What the hell Tanya?! Are you really that dense? A weapon? That's the stupid human arrogance and paranoia talking. He's too alive to be a lab creation. Get a hold of yourself woman!_

A few moments passed.

_Well, what do I do now? I can't do anything while he's asleep. I'll deal with whatever comes my way when he wakes up. No point sitting about doing nothing._

Tanya gently placed him down on the seat, and crept upstairs to get dressed. She rounded the stairs into her bedroom, her sleep-covered eyes assaulted by the bright blue of the walls, and fumbled about in her wardrobe, eventually pulling out a pair of jeggings and a long jumper. She showered and dressed quickly.

As she dried her hair, her thoughts wandered. Just who was this Optimus? Whatever he was, he definitely wasn't just a robot. She paused in her movements as she thought about the bad dreams Optimus had endured the night before, how she'd soothed him in a vain attempt to keep the demons at bay. She felt her heart clench at the memory of such torment and grief on his face as he slept. The way he'd cried something in a soft, poetic language before startling awake.

_Poor little guy. _She thought, turning off the hairdryer and quickly brushing a comb through her hair. _I wonder what happened to give him such bad dreams._

Setting the comb down, Tanya stood up and grabbed her mother's handmade bracelet out of the drawer. Slipping it on her wrist, she smiled fondly at the memories it brought back. She made her way down the stairs, trying to be a quiet as possible just in case Optimus was still asleep.

Tanya crept into the living room, only to see Optimus sitting politely on the edge of the couch, watching the blizzard outside with an apparently mild interest.

"Oh, you're awake." She said, leaning on the arm of the couch.

He turned and smiled a little. "I have been online for a while Miss Willows."

"Please, just call me Tanya. 'Miss' makes me feel like a teacher."

Optimus was obviously utterly confused. "With the knowledge I have collected so far on your species social conduct, it leads me to believe it is considered well-mannered to refer to an unbonded human female by the title of 'Miss'. Is this information wrong?"

Tanya laughed. "No, no. It _is _polite, but I guess only with formal stuff, and depending on the person. Tanya works fine for me."

Optimus blinked, and Tanya got the impression that the little 'robot' was filing away everything she had just said. Presumably for future reference. He inclined his head courteously with a half-smile, and turned back to the blizzard outside. She sat down next to him, working up the courage to speak.

"Uh...Optimus, can I ask you something?"

Optimus turned his regal head back to her and nodded. Tanya gently placed a hand on his shoulder. He stiffened a little at the contact, but made no move to displace her.

"Look, you're not human, and you're _without doubt _not a robot. So...I don't want to sound rude or anything, but..._what are you?_" She asked.

To her surprise, a low chuckle escaped him. He shook his head in good humour and raised his head to look her in the eye.

"It never fails to amuse me, that question." He said, amusement flickering in those lovely eyes of his. Seeing her confused expression, he continued. "Every human asks the same thing, always in the same way. Almost word for word."

Tanya didn't really know how to respond to that.

"Regardless, in answer to your question, I am Cybertronian." Optimus said, serious once again.

"Cyber...tronian?" Tanya repeated the word slowly. "Y'know, I passed Geography with flying colours, and I've definitely never heard of that nationality. That means...you're not actually...uh...well..."

"From this planet?" Optimus finished her sentence, the amused glimmer returning to his eyes. "No. My group and I are from Cybertron. We left when war had consumed our home. There were two sides, mine, the Autobots, who seek peace. And the Decepticons, who know nothing of peace, but instead strive for power through the foulest of means."

"They don't sound too nice. Wait...Cybertron? Is that another planet?!"

"Yes. It is located in what you humans know as the Scutum-Centaurus Arm."

Tanya blinked in confusion. Her mind was blank for a few seconds. "Yeah, I don't know the relevance of that. Is it far away?"

"It is very far away, my homeworld is on the complete opposite side of the galaxy. But how could you not know this? Are you humans not taught the structure of your own galaxy as children?"

"No."

Optimus looked a little scandalised. "This I do not understand, and nor do I agree with. Even as sparklings we were taught the basic structure, geography and physical nature of our galaxy, and of others beyond."

Tanya mentally repeated the words in a daze, blinking when she realised her hand was still placed on the little _alien's _shoulder. He didn't seem to mind, so she left it there. She pushed that concern away, and focused on a far more pressing matter.

There was an _alien _in _her _sitting room. An 'effing _alien_ telling her about _education_ on his homeworld. She figured she should be more freaked out. Panicking or something dumb and human like that. But she wasn't. Here she was, having a perfectly civil conversation with a being from another world, whom she had just the night before cradled and tended to like a child. And she was just...rolling with it?

Yes, yes she was. Freaking out just sounded like so much unnecessary effort.

"You seem to be handling this rather well."

A voice cut into her thoughts, she glanced back down at Optimus, who was carefully watching her response with wary eyes. She wondered if he'd been around humans who _hadn't _handled it well. Poor guy.

"I'm not going to go all psycho-bitch on you and do something stupid if that's what you mean." Tanya laughed. "No, I pride myself on having just a touch more sense than the rest of my idiotic species."

Optimus nodded, a grim smile gracing his features like a light mist. "I do not claim to know the heart of every human. But from what I have seen, you are a very young race with many flaws, but you have much potential. I keep faith that one day, your leaders will be able to see past their own hunger for power and instead tend to the people and land they govern."

Tanya snorted. "Ha! Pigs will fly before that happens."

Optimus looked bemused and 'blinked' once. "I...do not understand. The animal you refer to does not have any evolutionary inclination towards flight."

"No, no!" Tanya laughed, patting his shoulder. She found his confusion utterly adorable. "It's a saying. It basically means that because pigs will never fly, then whatever the subject matter is will also never happen."

"Ah." Optimus said, looking thoughtful.

They sat in a comfortable silence for a while, the only sounds were the taps of flakes on the glass, and the gentle crackle of the flames in the fireplace. Tanya bit her lip, watching Optimus go back to observing the blizzard outside with the same mild interest as before. She had so many questions for him, but she could see how worn-out he was. His shoulders were slumped, eyes downcast, and he just looked tired overall really. She didn't wish to pressure him, but nor did she wish to be left out of the loop. For all she knew, this polite, sweet being from beyond could really be something not-so-nice.

There it was again. Human paranoia. What a truly awful instinct.

The silence remained unbroken for a while longer, until eventually, Tanya decided to just wing it. They couldn't sit in silence forever. She had questions, and she was definitely entitled to answers.

"This is a bit sudden, but...why were you out in the moor all alone?" She asked, seeing Optimus turn his head back to her, slowly. "You must've come from somewhere. Did you have a ship and it crashed or something?"

Optimus shook his head. He seemed to hesitate, carefully assessing the situation and deciding whether or not he trusted her enough.

"No. We had no ship." He began, voice so quiet Tanya had to listen harder. "We actually had a base. Or the makings of one to be more precise. But now, now there will be nothing."

Tanya said nothing. She didn't want to interrupt.

"I presume you know of the damage in Mission City?" Optimus asked. She nodded vaguely. "That was not caused by an explosion, as was told, but instead was the result of a confrontation between my Autobots, and what remained of the Decepticon forces over the AllSpark. An ancient relic that contained enough power to restart our planet's core, and bring life back to its surface. During the battle, circumstances changed. We sacrificed it to save this planet, and others beyond. "

Tanya felt her heart clench for the second time that day. That was awful. Travelling so far, only to lose something so important. She tightened her grip on Optimus' shoulder, gently stoking her thumb over the fascinating joins and components in comfort. He nodded in thanks.

"Then what happened?" Tanya whispered.

"Then? We had no other choice but to stay here. Leaving was not an option. We do not have the energy for that, nor the equipment. The governments were not overjoyed at the fact, but they relented once Elita and Ironhide lost their temper with them." Optimus chuckled a little, obviously remembering the moment. "After that, life became far easier for us. We simply asked that we may live in peace, and for a while, that humble wish was granted. We were starting to settle on this planet, almost happy. The rest of our friends arrived, and we agreed to have our scientists work with human scientists, par the requests on both sides."

Tanya could hear the edge to his voice.

"Then we were betrayed."

"By who?" Tanya asked, and then the penny dropped. "Oh no, don't tell me..."

Optimus nodded, eyes haunted. "The governments of this world decided they would rather have us killed and studied than let us live without strife. They...they attacked our base. Many of our human friends perished in the initial blasts, and a few of us were badly injured."

"That's barbaric." Tanya spat, half furious, half sad. "I can't believe people can be so sick as to just attack for no reason. I hope they get what they deserve. An eternity in hell."

Optimus smiled slightly at that.

"So, what happened then?" Tanya asked.

"We had no choice but to flee, but we knew we would not be able to hide for long before our spark energy would give us away." Optimus was serious once again, and Tanya could see all the talking was tiring him out. "We activated our last resort measures, mechanisms within us that allow us to compress ourselves into much smaller forms. This helps us evade enemies, as the energy our sparks give off is far less, and harder to track. Human technology has no hope of identifying our individual energon signatures now that they are so small."

Optimus suddenly looked haunted, and Tanya truly dreaded what he was to say next. She resumed her comforting gestures in a vain hope to relieve some of the agony he must have been feeling. He placed his own, much smaller had atop hers. Tanya didn't miss the way he shook slightly.

"Sadly, it also makes us easier to subdue. A few of my people were captured, and it breaks my spark to think of what they may be going through right now. I am scared for them, I am scared for all of us now. For the first time in my life, I honestly do not know what to do."

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**The ending is crap, I know. But I will probably edit it later if I come up with something better. :( **

**Don't forget to review!**


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